Estimated Global Market for E-Cigarettes (Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS))

"THE ENDS MARKET
"8. The use of ENDS is apparently booming. It is estimated that in 2014 there were 466 brands¹ and that in 2013 US$ 3 billion was spent on ENDS globally. Sales are forecasted to increase by a factor of 17 by 2030.² Despite this projection, transnational tobacco companies are divided about the prospects of the growth of ENDS sales and some companies have reported a slowdown in sales in some markets.^{3, 4, 5} There are no data on ENDS use at the global level and for many countries. However, data mainly from North America, the European Union (EU) and Republic of Korea indicate that ENDS use at least doubled among both adults and adolescents from 2008 to 2012.⁶ In 2012, 7% of EU citizens aged 15 years and over had tried electronic cigarettes. However, only 1% of the total population used them regularly.⁷ In 2013, 47% of smokers and ex-smokers in the United States of America had tried e-cigarettes, but prevalence of established use was 4% in this group.¹ Users report that the main reasons for using ENDS are to reduce or stop smoking and because they can be used in smoke-free places.²
"9. According to the recent WHO survey, ENDS availability is widespread. Slightly over half of the world’s population live in 62 countries that report the availability of ENDS in their jurisdictions, 4% live in countries reporting that ENDS are not available, while the rest live in countries that did not respond concerning the availability of ENDS.
"10. Recently, the transnational tobacco companies have entered the ENDS market. Some of them are aggressively competing with the independent companies to gain market share. Given the economic power of the tobacco industry, recent moves to sue other companies alleging patent infringement may be an indicator of how difficult it will be for ENDS to remain a business niche dominated by independent companies."